Morning came too quickly.
Too quietly.
Like the night hadn't happened at all.
Sophia woke slowly, her eyes fluttering open as soft sunlight spilled into the room.
For a moment—
Everything felt still.
Calm.
Normal.
Then she remembered.
Her breath caught.
Her heart skipped.
Everything came rushing back.
The argument.
The tension.
The kiss.
Her fingers curled slightly into the sheets as she stared at the ceiling.
"This… is real," she whispered.
A movement beside her made her freeze.
Luciano.
He was still there.
Lying on his back, one arm resting behind his head, his gaze already on her.
Watching.
Quiet.
Unreadable.
Sophia swallowed hard.
Her pulse quickening again.
"You're staring," she muttered.
"You're thinking," he replied.
A pause.
Then—
"Too much."
She let out a quiet breath.
"That seems to be a pattern."
Silence settled between them.
But it wasn't the same as before.
Not distant.
Not cold.
Just… aware.
Sophia turned her head slightly, meeting his gaze.
And for a second—
Everything from last night flashed between them again.
"This changes things," she said softly.
Luciano didn't look away.
"Yes."
Her chest tightened.
"You don't even ask how I feel about it."
A pause.
Then—
"If you didn't want it, you would've stopped it."
The bluntness made her breath hitch.
"That's not fair," she said.
"It's true."
Sophia sat up slowly, pulling the sheet around herself.
Her thoughts tangled again.
"Wanting something doesn't make it right," she said.
Luciano pushed himself up slightly, his gaze never leaving her.
"I never said it was."
Silence.
"Then why act like it doesn't matter?" she asked.
"It matters," he said.
"Then say that."
A pause.
"It matters."
The simplicity of it—
The honesty—
It caught her off guard.
Sophia looked away, her fingers tightening slightly around the fabric.
"This makes everything harder," she admitted.
Luciano didn't argue.
"Yes."
Her chest tightened again.
"Isabella," she said quietly.
His expression shifted instantly.
Colder.
Focused.
"She'll use this," Sophia continued.
"She'll see it as weakness."
Luciano's jaw tightened slightly.
"She already does."
Silence.
Sophia exhaled slowly.
"Then what do we do?"
Luciano stood, adjusting his shirt with the same calm precision he always had.
But now—
She noticed it differently.
This wasn't distance.
This was control.
"We don't give her the chance," he said.
Sophia frowned slightly.
"How?"
A pause.
Then—
"We end it before she can."
Her heart skipped.
"That's not a plan," she said.
"It's the only one that works."
Sophia shook her head slightly.
"You can't just rush into this."
Luciano turned to face her fully.
"I don't rush."
"That's exactly what this is."
Silence.
Tension flickered again.
But this time—
It wasn't the same.
It wasn't pushing them apart.
It was pulling them closer.
Dangerously so.
"You think this changes how I do things," Luciano said.
"It does," she replied immediately.
A pause.
"Then you're wrong."
Sophia's chest tightened.
"No," she said quietly.
"I'm not."
Silence.
Because deep down—
They both knew it was true.
A sudden knock broke the moment.
Sharp.
Urgent.
Luciano's expression hardened instantly.
"Enter."
The door opened quickly.
One of his men stepped in.
"There's been movement."
Sophia's pulse spiked.
"What kind?" Luciano asked.
The man hesitated.
Then—
"She's making a move."
Silence.
Sophia's stomach dropped.
"Where?" Luciano asked.
The man glanced briefly at Sophia.
Then back at Luciano.
"Close."
That one word—
It hit differently.
"How close?" Luciano pressed.
The man swallowed.
"Closer than before."
Sophia's chest tightened.
"What does that mean?" she asked.
The man didn't answer.
Luciano did.
"It means she's not targeting operations anymore."
A pause.
"She's targeting us."
The air shifted instantly.
Sophia felt it.
That cold realization settling in.
"She knows," she whispered.
Luciano didn't deny it.
"Yes."
Her heart started racing again.
"Then we don't have time," she said.
Luciano's gaze sharpened.
"No."
Silence.
Then—
Sophia stood.
Not hesitant.
Not unsure.
Decided.
"Then we move first."
Luciano watched her.
Carefully.
"You're not staying behind," she added.
A pause.
"No."
Her chest tightened slightly.
"Good."
That surprised him.
Just slightly.
Because this time—
She wasn't asking.
She was choosing.
Just like he was.
Outside—
The calm was gone.
And this time—
There was no waiting.
Because Isabella had made her move.
And now—
So would they.